Permanent Vacation

Permanent Vacation is a 1980 movie directed by Jim Jarmusch.

Permanent Vacation tells the story of Aloysius Parker, a self-professed drifter who is searching for a deeper meaning to his life. He wanders through New York City and meets a variety of unique individuals during his quest.

In some respects, Permanent Vacation feels as aimless as its main character. This is a meandering movie that doesn’t follow any traditional narrative structure nor presents any deeper moral message. We’re immediately warned of this through Allie’s narration: “This is the story of how I got from there to here or I should say from here to here.”

However, Jarmusch does an extraordinary job staging an environment that feels more like an expose. Naturally, there’s a low budget ethos that contributes to the movie’s gritty, natural feel. Yet, the writing and subdued acting performances allows Permanent Vacation to function more as a documentary.

Chris Parker is not really an actor but does an extraordinary job capturing the essence of the wandering Allie. There is a terrific man-child quality to him – he is both hardened by the city and fascinated by its broken, bombed-out mystique.

There is a deeply introspective aspect to Allie – he rationalizes his need to drift and is driven to connect with the series of strangers he encounters. Yet, he has no real ties to family and continually alienates his girlfriend, leaving her alone for days at a time.

Parker is fascinating. He explores the city with a child-like wonder – turning into abandoned, crumbling buildings and alleys. He’s searching for anything of value – finding it in a shell-shocked Vietnam veteran, a hysterical girl on a balcony, a saxophone player and an obsessed jazz fan.

Parker’s Allie is essentially fearless. He approaches each situation with complete ease and confidence. The girl on the balcony is disheveled – her crimson lipstick grossly smeared all over her mouth – she’s shrieking and clearly disturbed. Yet, Allie approaches because he wants to know the song she was singing.

There are moments when you forget that Allie is still a kid. He carefully grooms his hipster image, turning his cigarette upside down and works out his dance moves while blasting his idol, Charlie Parker. He visits the bombed out site of his parents’ first apartment before seeing his mother in a mental institution.

But he’s also a city kid and opportunistic. When the situation presents itself, he drives off in an unattended classic Mustang, selling it underground for 800 dollars. He pockets the money and boards a boat. The final scene of the movie sees Allie’s city getting smaller in the distance. His drifting is now carrying him to a new adventure.

Jarmusch displays late 1970’s New York City in its natural form – it’s an ugly, decaying, broken city. Yet, he manages to fill his scenes with a jagged beauty – there’s a rough splendor attached to the rubble and his characters reveal the raw allure of the city.

The BEST – The Line of the Movie

After Allie steals the Mustang, a passerby laughs and tells the victim: “You better get your ass out of here before he snatch that up too.”

The BEST Part 2 – I’m a Certain Kind of Tourist

Allie scours the city to satisfy his urge to roam – in a unique sense, the city itself forms his identity. He’s fully immersed yet also abandons the city to depart on a new adventure.

The WORST – Leila Doesn’t Like Being on Camera

One of the appeals of Permanent Vacation is it’s a blank canvas of sorts for some intriguing actors. Parker shines as Allie and Maria Duval and Frankie Faison are outstanding in their respective scenes. Leila Gastil is unique for her inexperience and obvious anxiety during her exchanges with Allie. Her discomfort contributes to the movie’s raw ethos.

FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4/5

Permanent Vacation is likely an acquired taste. There is no tangible narrative structure and no moral lessons to be acquired. Additionally, Jarmusch is a first-time filmmaker who features inexperienced actors. Yet, this movie works on a truly unique artistic level – it’s a gritty documentary feel tucked inside an oddly beautiful and quirky character study.